Which is faster at starting, turbocharged or naturally aspirated?

[VanPiper]

Automobiles with turbocharged engines start faster. A turbocharged engine refers to an engine equipped with a turbocharger. A turbocharger is an air compressor that increases the intake air volume by compressing air. The working principle of a turbocharged engine is as follows: 1. Inertial impulse: The exhaust gas inertial impulse from the engine is used to drive the turbine in the turbine chamber; 2. Air compression: The turbine drives the coaxial impeller, which compresses the air delivered through the air filter pipeline, pressurizing it before it enters the cylinder; 3. Increased speed: As the engine speed increases, the exhaust gas discharge speed and turbine speed also increase synchronously. The impeller compresses more air into the cylinder, increasing the air pressure and density. This allows for more fuel to be burned, and the corresponding increase in fuel quantity adjusts the engine speed, thereby increasing the engine's output power.

[McWyatt]

Last time I drove my friend's 2.5L naturally aspirated Mazda and a 1.5T Civic on mountain roads, the NA engine did feel more responsive at traffic light starts. With naturally aspirated engines, power comes instantly when you step on the throttle, while turbocharged cars need about half a second for the RPM to rise before delivering their punch - especially noticeable during low-speed follow driving when it feels like someone tugged your shirt before surging forward. However, the turbo kick does deliver more intense acceleration once engaged. For frequent highway drivers like us, we actually prefer the stronger top-end power of turbocharged cars.

[MacKinsley]

After testing data recorders on ten cars, a pattern was discovered: when starting below 2000 RPM, large-displacement naturally aspirated engines respond about 0.3 seconds faster than turbocharged cars with the same horsepower. The principle is simple—before the turbo builds positive pressure, it's essentially a small-displacement engine. Last time I floored a 3.0L Reiz, the tires even screeched, whereas with a 2.0T Magotan, I had to build up revs first before it could launch. However, the newly released 48V mild-hybrid turbocharged cars have now addressed this weakness.

[Nina]

From my decade-long experience in car repair, the acceleration speed of ordinary family cars really doesn't depend on turbocharging or natural aspiration. Front-wheel drive cars have power limited by tire slip, rear-wheel drive cars need to control oversteer, and all-wheel drive cars suffer greater drivetrain losses. Last time when I helped a customer tune the ECU, a 1.6L naturally aspirated Fit with optimized transmission logic actually accelerated faster than a factory 1.5T Golf. If you want to be first off the line at traffic lights, switching to semi-slick tires is much more practical than obsessing over engine types.

[LeJack]

From a physical characteristics perspective, naturally aspirated engines provide linear acceleration like riding a road bike, while turbocharged engines deliver explosive power like twisting a motorcycle's throttle. Having driven both the old 2.4L Accord and the current 1.5T Accord, I found the naturally aspirated version more responsive below 80km/h, especially when navigating city streets where power is instantly available. However, turbocharged cars have greater torque reserves, making them better suited for climbing hills with full load and air conditioning without losing breath. My current car buying advice is straightforward: choose naturally aspirated for city commuting, and go turbocharged if you frequently take long trips.